![\"Homeschool](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/FB-How-to-Plan-a-Homeschool-Valentines-Day-Party-2-500x262.jpg\" "\\"Planning")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nHow to Plan a Homeschool Valentine’s Day Party<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n1: Find a Location<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nFirst, you want to overcome the biggest obstacle for most homeschool groups – find a place. We live in the Bible Belt, so a church gym or fellowship hall was always our go-to place. Some other options to consider are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- The meeting room at your local library<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A rec center<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A voting precinct\/community meeting hall<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The home of the bravest homeschool mom in your group<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Two of the most important factors to consider are tables and space. You’ll need a fair amount of both, depending on your group’s size.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Homeschool](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/FB-How-to-Plan-a-Homeschool-Valentines-Day-Party-500x262.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n2: Plan the Agenda<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn my experience, there are three highlights of a Valentine’s Day party: food, games, and bag decorating<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHomeschool Valentine’s Day Party Food<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nFor the food, you have a couple of options. You can either ask everyone to sign up for a dish or two and have a pot-luck-style event or ask everyone to chip in on pizza. The easiest option is probably pizza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, ask moms to volunteer to bring iced but undecorated cupcakes and\/or cookies and sprinkles – because a cupcake decorating station is fun, y’all<\/strong>. Chips, candy, and other assorted hyperactivity-inducing treats are always well-received, too (by the kids, not necessarily their parents, but, hey, it’s a party).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Homeschool](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/4996251599_b0a7183477_b.jpg\" "\\"4996251599_b0a7183477_b\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nphoto credit Stuart webster<\/a> on flickr<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nHomeschool Valentine’s Day Party Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe kids in our homeschool group always enjoyed playing the kinds of group games that are hard to play without a decent-sized group. They loved games like Red Rover<\/em> and What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’ve got teens and tweens<\/strong>, they may enjoy some board games. Chameleon <\/a><\/strong>is a fun one. And Poetry for Neanderthals <\/a><\/strong>is guaranteed to get some laughs! But what they’ll probably appreciate most is just some space to hang out and talk<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWe were fortunate for a couple of years to have some space for the teens to hang out separately from the younger kids. They weren’t interested in exchanging Valentines or playing games, but no one complained about eating pizza and cupcakes while catching up with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
V-Day Bag Decorating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe kids in our group always enjoyed decorating bags for the homeschool Valentine’s Day party exchange. We’d ask everyone to bring a white or brown paper lunch sack for decorating<\/strong>. It would probably be just as easy for one or two moms to volunteer to bring bags for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you start shopping early, you may be able to find a reasonable price on white or brown paper gift bags with handles<\/strong>. Those make excellent Valentine’s bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAsk the moms to sign up to bring things such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- stickers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Magic markers<\/strong><\/a> and\/or crayons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- foam stickers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Be sure to ask the moms not<\/em> to bring glitter or glitter glue. Trust me on this.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nEach child will decorate his or her own bag for the Valentine exchange. For the preschool through elementary-aged kids, this was always one of the highlights of our homeschool Valentine’s Day parties. Just remind everyone to put their name on their bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Valentine Exchange<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You’ll want to have a pretty good idea of how many kids will be attending before the party day so that all the kids can make sure they have enough Valentines to exchange<\/strong>. If you’re going to have a large number of children, it’s a good idea to split them into age groups for the Valentine exchange. (It can get pricey to buy 60-70 Valentines for each child in your family to exchange.)<\/p>\n\n\n\nOur group found that the easiest way to do the actual exchange was to write “my friend” in the “to” field<\/strong> and have each child sign their name in the “from” field. Before switching to that method, we used to gather a list of names before the party so that each of the kids could address their Valentine to a specific friend. That’s entirely up to you. It can be time-consuming and tedious to try to find each child’s bag, though, when cards are addressed to a particular person.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOnce the bags are decorated, you can leave them on the tables so the kids can deliver their Valentines. However, we found the least confusing method to be to line the bags up around the perimeter of the room and let the kids go around, dropping their Valentines in each bag<\/strong>. This eliminated the confusion of kids trying to remember who they’d given a card to – but it would not be the best method if kids are going to be writing specific names on their cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFree Play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFinally, you want to make sure to allow plenty of time for free play. As sick as we homeschool parents may get about hearing the socialization argument<\/a><\/strong>, our kids do enjoy socializing<\/em> with their friends. So don’t make the mistake of hosting a super-structured Valentine’s Day party. Give the kids a chance to just run and play. The bonus is that it gives you<\/em> a chance to just sit down and chat with other adults. You’re welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHave you ever hosted a homeschool Valentine’s Day party for your homeschool group or a group of your kids’ friends? What planning tips or activity ideas would you add?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou Might Also Be Interested In:<\/h1>\n\n\n
First, you want to overcome the biggest obstacle for most homeschool groups – find a place. We live in the Bible Belt, so a church gym or fellowship hall was always our go-to place. Some other options to consider are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- The meeting room at your local library<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A rec center<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A voting precinct\/community meeting hall<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The home of the bravest homeschool mom in your group<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Two of the most important factors to consider are tables and space. You’ll need a fair amount of both, depending on your group’s size.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n2: Plan the Agenda<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In my experience, there are three highlights of a Valentine’s Day party: food, games, and bag decorating<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Homeschool Valentine’s Day Party Food<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
For the food, you have a couple of options. You can either ask everyone to sign up for a dish or two and have a pot-luck-style event or ask everyone to chip in on pizza. The easiest option is probably pizza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, ask moms to volunteer to bring iced but undecorated cupcakes and\/or cookies and sprinkles – because a cupcake decorating station is fun, y’all<\/strong>. Chips, candy, and other assorted hyperactivity-inducing treats are always well-received, too (by the kids, not necessarily their parents, but, hey, it’s a party).<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nphoto credit Stuart webster<\/a> on flickr<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Homeschool Valentine’s Day Party Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The kids in our homeschool group always enjoyed playing the kinds of group games that are hard to play without a decent-sized group. They loved games like Red Rover<\/em> and What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’ve got teens and tweens<\/strong>, they may enjoy some board games. Chameleon <\/a><\/strong>is a fun one. And Poetry for Neanderthals <\/a><\/strong>is guaranteed to get some laughs! But what they’ll probably appreciate most is just some space to hang out and talk<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were fortunate for a couple of years to have some space for the teens to hang out separately from the younger kids. They weren’t interested in exchanging Valentines or playing games, but no one complained about eating pizza and cupcakes while catching up with friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
V-Day Bag Decorating<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The kids in our group always enjoyed decorating bags for the homeschool Valentine’s Day party exchange. We’d ask everyone to bring a white or brown paper lunch sack for decorating<\/strong>. It would probably be just as easy for one or two moms to volunteer to bring bags for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you start shopping early, you may be able to find a reasonable price on white or brown paper gift bags with handles<\/strong>. Those make excellent Valentine’s bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask the moms to sign up to bring things such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- stickers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Magic markers<\/strong><\/a> and\/or crayons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- foam stickers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Be sure to ask the moms not<\/em> to bring glitter or glitter glue. Trust me on this.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each child will decorate his or her own bag for the Valentine exchange. For the preschool through elementary-aged kids, this was always one of the highlights of our homeschool Valentine’s Day parties. Just remind everyone to put their name on their bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Valentine Exchange<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You’ll want to have a pretty good idea of how many kids will be attending before the party day so that all the kids can make sure they have enough Valentines to exchange<\/strong>. If you’re going to have a large number of children, it’s a good idea to split them into age groups for the Valentine exchange. (It can get pricey to buy 60-70 Valentines for each child in your family to exchange.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our group found that the easiest way to do the actual exchange was to write “my friend” in the “to” field<\/strong> and have each child sign their name in the “from” field. Before switching to that method, we used to gather a list of names before the party so that each of the kids could address their Valentine to a specific friend. That’s entirely up to you. It can be time-consuming and tedious to try to find each child’s bag, though, when cards are addressed to a particular person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the bags are decorated, you can leave them on the tables so the kids can deliver their Valentines. However, we found the least confusing method to be to line the bags up around the perimeter of the room and let the kids go around, dropping their Valentines in each bag<\/strong>. This eliminated the confusion of kids trying to remember who they’d given a card to – but it would not be the best method if kids are going to be writing specific names on their cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Free Play<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Finally, you want to make sure to allow plenty of time for free play. As sick as we homeschool parents may get about hearing the socialization argument<\/a><\/strong>, our kids do enjoy socializing<\/em> with their friends. So don’t make the mistake of hosting a super-structured Valentine’s Day party. Give the kids a chance to just run and play. The bonus is that it gives you<\/em> a chance to just sit down and chat with other adults. You’re welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you ever hosted a homeschool Valentine’s Day party for your homeschool group or a group of your kids’ friends? What planning tips or activity ideas would you add?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You Might Also Be Interested In:<\/h1>\n\n\n
- Magic markers<\/strong><\/a> and\/or crayons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- stickers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/HHM-Valentines-for-Couples-FB-1-500x262.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/OPC-Pom-Pom-Love-Bugs-FB-1000x523-1-500x262.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Quick-and-Easy-Valentine-Banner-500x714.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n